The invention relates to an incontinence article in pants form for receiving body excretions, with a front stomach portion and a rear back portion, which to form a stomach and back band which is continuous in the transverse or waist-encircling direction and has a waist opening that is closed in the waist-encircling direction are connected to one another at the manufacturer's at side seam regions on both sides, and with a crotch portion, which has an absorbent body, extends in a longitudinal direction between the stomach portion and the back portion and is inseparably joined to the stomach portion and to the back portion in connecting regions, wherein not only the crotch portion but also the stomach portion and the back portion bound the leg openings of the incontinence article. An incontinence article produced in this way from three components is known, for example, from WO 2004/052260 A1, WO 03/039423 A1, WO 2005/067842 A1, WO 2005/016200 A1 and EP 1 392 212 B1. In the case of this specific product concept, after the joining of the crotch portion, made to extend in the longitudinal direction, to the stomach portion, made to extend substantially in the transverse or waist-encircling direction, and the back portion, made to extend correspondingly, in the spread-out flat state, these three components can create an H-shaped basic structure of the incontinence article. The incontinence article is then formed in a modular manner from the components crotch portion, stomach portion and back portion. These components are advantageously first connected to one another by way of the crotch portion, and, preferably, after that the stomach portion is connected to the back portion in side seam regions on both sides. This is a connection performed at the manufacturer's, by which the pants form is obtained. This connection is typically inseparable. The pants form may, however, also be separable, in particular along a predetermined breaking line, which may in particular run in the side seam region, for example for removing a used incontinence article from a person needing care.
Incontinence articles in pants form are different in principle from traditional openable and closable incontinence articles in the customary diaper form in that the waist size is generally predetermined and the adaptation to different body sizes is achieved on the basis of a number of standard sizes by an elastic stretchability of the article. Generally used for this purpose are elasticating means, in particular in the form of bands or threads, often referred to as Lycra threads, connected in the pre-stretched state (stretch-bonding process) to chassis materials of the incontinence article, that is to say they are fixed in the pre-stretched state to the chassis materials, for example by means of an adhesive. As a result of their pretensioning, these elasticating means gather the chassis materials together and thereby form pleatings. The incontinence article or the elasticated chassis materials of the incontinence article can then stretch again elastically when the incontinence article is put onto the user like a pair of pants. Incontinence articles in pants form with such elasticated chassis materials are known in many instances and, for example, are also discussed in the previously mentioned WO 2004/052260 A1.
With the present invention it has been realized that, during the operation of putting on the incontinence article in pants form, in particular when engaging the lateral regions of the chassis materials, there is a crumpling, sometimes in certain regions creasing, of the chassis materials provided with elasticating means, accompanied by a twisting of the chassis materials. This represents an impairment of the elasticating effect and consequently of the fit; the visual impression is also disadvantageously impaired.
Against this background, the present invention is based on the object of counteracting the problems described above, without involving any impairment of the wearing comfort or further consequences impairing the functionality of the incontinence article.